Forgotten Ghost | Natasha Romanoff

Chapter 29: Accusations

Natasha stood next to Fury's head when Katya entered the room. Steve leaned against the wall behind her, giving her some space. Katya stood next to him, crossing her arms over her chest while her heart hurt for the woman she loved to much. 

She must be in so much pain right now, losing the one person who gave her a chance at a new life, which she accepted with both hands. What was SHIELD without Nick Fury? What were Katya and Natasha without their boss, who always looked out for them a little bit more than everyone else. Who always made sure they would come back from a mission alive, no matter the cost. Personal or material. 

He really was the father they never had, someone who loved them and had his own weird way of showing it. Nick Fury was SHIELD. The heart between the heads.

Katya examined her girlfriend intently, trying to figure out what she was thinking. Her feet were placed firmly on the ground, a sign that she needed stability in order to stay upright. The muscles in her legs and back were rigid, the tension keeping the shaking at bay. The same could be said for her arms and hands, that clutched each other tightly in front of her chest. Her hair didn't move, which meant she wasn't speaking or mouthing words to herself or the man in front of her. 

She just stood there, staring at his lifeless face. Somehow that made it even worse than if she would have been crying and screaming. That would have torn Katya's heart apart, but this hurt more. Natasha completely shutting herself off from the world, crawling back behind those walls Katya spent so much time trying to break down. Not demolish them with a hammer, but gently taking away one stone at a time. That was the only way to really get through to Natasha.

The tension in the room was so painful and awkward that Katya would have walked right back out if she wasn't here in the first place to keep a close eye on Natasha to make sure she was okay. Steve didn't say anything, only adding to the awkwardness. 

While they got off to a good start, she felt he had created some distance between him and the woman. He didn't hate her, but he didn't trust her. And that was something he was big on. Not as big as Natasha -he probably trusted people faster and better- but he loved his trust. He liked to rely on people and didn't know if he could with both Russian spies because he didn't know them and he never completely would. 

There would always be big parts of their life neither Natasha nor Katya would ever tell Steve. Things they shared with no one but each other. Things he would never understand, not having lived through the things they have. Things only the most broken people understood.

Katya felt Maria before she walked in the room. Sneaking up on her wouldn't happen for a second time. She shot Katya a very sad smile before mostly turning towards Natasha. ''I need to take him.'' Her voice was soft and gentle, knowing Natasha was famous for her little outbursts when forced to do something she didn't want.

Katya's eyes flickered back to the redhead, who didn't move at all at Maria's words. She knew she had heard her, but leaving Nick in this room meant something more than just walking out. It meant he was really dead, never to be seen again.

Taking a few inaudible steps forward, Katya put a gentle hand on her girlfriend's shoulder, who startled at the touch. ''Talia,'' she whispered to her, trying to get her to let her friend go.

A tear fell down Natasha's cheek, a rare sight even for Katya, as she put her hand on Nick's head as a last goodbye before pushing past Katya without looking at her and storming out of the room. 

Steve followed her out before Katya could even react. ''Natasha!'' He called after her when she walked off with that determined walk of hers, clearly on a mission to find and kill whoever did this.